Fact Checker: Did Explorer Peter Freuchen Save His Life with a Poop Chisel?

Myths, lies, and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor, or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker@themeateater.com. Claim Peter Freuchen was a Danish traveler, author, journalist, and anthropologist. He’s most famous for being the 6-foot-7-inch...

Chris Dombrowski: Fishing, Writing and Working His Ass Off

The old man who swept his stoop each day         is sweeping still, the hardest-working motherfucker         in Motherfuckerville. –C.D. Chris Dombrowski lives a life of duality—one of fly lines wrapped with words. His manipulation of words into sentences and stanzas matches his ability to drop a cast into a Dixie cup. “Ragged Anthem,” his most recent collection of poems, adds bulk to a body of work that can only be described as prolific...

How to Catch and Fish with Leeches

“Heads or tails?” It was the most important coin toss of the year, for it determined who was going to fish and who was going to bleed. I was 13 years old when my brother and I started the tradition of tossing a coin to decide which one of us had to drop trousers and wade out into the lukewarm water of a swamp that drained into a particular Adirondack lake we loved to fish. It was the perfect place to gather bait for walleye. Armed with a small...